Originally Posted by jackytoo (Post 9630817)

Plus the fact that America ns don't do buying in foreign countries.!

Originally Posted by The Oddities (Post 9631605)

I agree with JLFS.

Many of us may have had hard times and been perhaps classed as poor but I suspect that relatively few of us have known real poverty.

I have worked with people in poverty but that does not qualify me to know how it feels to be starving, homeless and desperate, it merely provides me with an insight.

Rosemary

Originally Posted by JLFS (Post 9631620)

Quite often the poor can be spotted even if they are clean and quite well turned out, it is in their demeanor.

Originally Posted by jackytoo (Post 9630817)

Stevie,Typical rubbish from an agent. Historically American homes have always been better value, not to mention better quality in the US. You could/can get a 3/3 house with fab kitchen and pool (heated) for the price of a 2/2 apartment on the CDS...and it will not only have lemon trees but ruby red grapefruit and Florida oranges. Then there is the poor exchange rate right now. You really ought to check what you can get for $300...about 220,000. Plus the fact that America ns don't do buying in foreign countries.!

Originally Posted by JLFS (Post 9631504)

Being poor in Spain is no picnic, I know people who are so close to the edge because their young daughter needs about 300euros of dental work!!!!!!!!
I think using the term "I would rather be poor in Spain" devalues the plight of the people who really are totaly desperate due to real and not, imagined poverty.

Some may have experienced relative poverty, but not absolute poverty, I havent, and I dont think anyone on this forum has.

The poverty of a child saying "daddy I am hungry", knowing that there is nothing more to eat.

And for thoses who claim to have been poor, well obvioulsy not poor now, wheras in most cases the "real poor" go from being a poor infant to a poor child to a poor adult and dying poor.

I would not expect an expat to understand the real meaning of being poor, not an expat from the UK Germany etc, but look at the difference to other immigrants from Morocco and E Europeans SAMS ETC.......they understand.

It sort of galls people to hear that phrase because a few decades ago Spanish, Italian and Portugese went to the UK because they really were poor in Spain, etc.

Of course British have a slightly distorted view of "poverty", the vast majority of them left the UK for a "better quality of life or the cafe culture, the sun. etc
Some came for the relaxed lifestlye, which is a condradiction in terms when talking about living in poverty because nothing is more stressfull that not being able to feed,house and clothe yourself and your family.

So stressfull in fact, that thousands went to the UK and sent money home to support the whole family including children left behind.

In fact a lot of south Americans are doing the same now and are trying to meet the legal requirements to be able to bring their minor children here, having to show they can support them.

Not quite the same as the British idea of poor in Spain, which means having MDD instead of a la carte, and a few less beers on the terrace until the pension or whatever hits the bank.

So posters who say they would rather be poor, should actually write that they would rather have less in Spain, that would save them from getting "well deserved" flak for what is quite franly a rather insulting phrase to the people who are actually living hand to mouth, ie POOR.

Originally Posted by megmet (Post 9630313)

Well so far I've survived my local government pension being reduced for life by 23% simply because I dared to retire at sixty instead of sixty five.
We have also seen our joint pensions fall by a large amount due to the falling exchange rate, we've also seen the interest on our savings and investments all but disappear...but we are still doing OK.

If push comes to shove and things go really down the pan for us... we would still rather be here in Spain poor than rich in the UK.I know I'm in for more flak for saying that, but it happens to be true!

Originally Posted by megmet (Post 9632561)

And that is rather insulting to those of us who may be doing OK or even very well now, but who in the years following world war two knew poverty the likes of which at your age and being born in Spain you have never experienced and couldn't even begin to imagine!

Too many of you on here presume to know about other people’s lives when in fact you know nothing! :frown:

Not that it's anything to do with any of you but....yes I was poor, my mother was divorced in a time when it was a shameful thing to be, I was looked down on as much as she was, even by the teachers in school, I was considered some kind of social outcast for something that was not of my doing, as was the only other girl there who was in the same situation.

Yes I DO know what it's like to live in a cold damp house that has no electricity and just one cold water tap, and the WC was a long drop toilet outside in the yard....mine is not a memory of a distant relative, I actually lived it!

I also know the feeling of hunger and there being no food in the house, quite often back then there would be a little bread and some sugar, so it was a 'sugar butty' for tea and often nothing at all for my mother.
The problems I have now with my feet were caused by having to wear shoes that were far too small, there was no money for shoes and cloths, I got those once a year from my aunt in London who we thought was rich because she could afford them.
It was all good grounding for me though, as soon as I started to earn I started to save as much as I could, I helped my mother improve her life and then I started to improve my own.

So don't you dare say to me from your much better background that I don't know what poor is.....I know it a lot better than some of you damned lot! :angry_smile:

You know who you are!

Originally Posted by jackytoo (Post 9632621)

Hmmm everyone falling over themselves to compete on the poverty level...where is the Violin:rofl:

Real poverty is in places like the Congo, Haiti etc. and those who have not seen it could never imagine it.

Originally Posted by jackytoo (Post 9632621)

Hmmm everyone falling over themselves to compete on the poverty level...where is the Violin:rofl:

Real poverty is in places like the Congo, Haiti etc. and those who have not seen it could never imagine it.

Originally Posted by megmet (Post 9632561)

So don't you dare say to me from your much better background that I don't know what poor is.....I know it a lot better than some of you damned lot! :angry_smile:

Originally Posted by megmet (Post 9632561)

quite often back then there would be a little bread and some sugar, so it was a 'sugar butty' for tea

Originally Posted by megmet (Post 9632561)

And that is rather insulting to those of us who may be doing OK or even very well now, but who in the years following world war two knew poverty the likes of which at your age and being born in Spain you have never experienced and couldn't even begin to imagine!

Too many of you on here presume to know about other people’s lives when in fact you know nothing! :frown:

Not that it's anything to do with any of you but....yes I was poor, my mother was divorced in a time when it was a shameful thing to be, I was looked down on as much as she was, even by the teachers in school, I was considered some kind of social outcast for something that was not of my doing, as was the only other girl there who was in the same situation.

Yes I DO know what it's like to live in a cold damp house that has no electricity and just one cold water tap, and the WC was a long drop toilet outside in the yard....mine is not a memory of a distant relative, I actually lived it!

I also know the feeling of hunger and there being no food in the house, quite often back then there would be a little bread and some sugar, so it was a 'sugar butty' for tea and often nothing at all for my mother.
The problems I have now with my feet were caused by having to wear shoes that were far too small, there was no money for shoes and cloths, I got those once a year from my aunt in London who we thought was rich because she could afford them.
It was all good grounding for me though, as soon as I started to earn I started to save as much as I could, I helped my mother improve her life and then I started to improve my own.

So don't you dare say to me from your much better background that I don't know what poor is.....I know it a lot better than some of you damned lot! :angry_smile:

You know who you are!

Originally Posted by The Oddities (Post 9632744)

I used to love those and condensed milk ones. :)

Graham